Chapter 3 - Aemilia

On Saturday morning, when Emily and Leilani arrived at my apartment, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. We were finally all together, and I was looking forward to catching up on each other's lives.

But when Leilani mentioned the man who had rejected her, my heart sank. I knew exactly who she was talking about, and I couldn't help but feel a little guilty for accepting his invitation.

As I gazed at my two closest friends, I realized that I could no longer conceal this from them. They deserve to always know the full truth.

Taking a deep breath, I began to speak, "I know this might come as a surprise, but I have to tell you something."

I eagerly recounted the story to my friends, my face glowing with excitement. Emily looked at me in silence, her expression unreadable. Leilani, on the other hand, looked at me in disbelief. Her eyes widened with shock. For a moment, there was only silence between us as we processed what had just been said.

But then Leilani burst out, unable to contain her thoughts any longer.

"I can't believe it," she cried, shaking her head. "I asked him out, but he turned me down, but he asked you out, Aemilia?" "That's just crazy."

As Leilani expressed her disbelief, I couldn't help but feel a mix of awkwardness and excitement. I had never expected to be the one to catch his attention. "I don't know what to say, Leilani," I admitted, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks. "It was a surprise to me too."

I could feel the tension rising in the room as Leilani struggled to conceal her disappointment. Emily, always the peacemaker, tried to defuse the situation.

"Leilani, it's not a big deal." "Maybe he just wasn't feeling it with you," Emily said, trying to console her friend.

Leilani shot Emily a look of disbelief. "Are you kidding me? He rejected me but asked Aemilia out? That's messed up," she said, her voice quivering with anger.

I didn't know what to say. I felt guilty for causing tension between my two friends.

I could sense her jealousy emanating, and it made me feel uneasy. I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I couldn't deny my excitement about the possibility of going out with him.

"I'm sorry, Leilani. I didn't mean to hurt you," I said, feeling guilty.

Leilani sighed and looked down at her feet. "It's not your fault. I just thought we had a connection," she said softly.

Emily put a comforting arm around Leilani's shoulder. "We'll find you someone better, Leilani. Someone who sees how amazing you are," she said, giving her a reassuring smile.

I could tell that the tension in the room had dissipated somewhat, but I still felt uneasy.

"Hey Aemilia, what are you going to wear?" Emily asked, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the room.

I shrugged. "I don't have anything special. Just my regular clothes."

Leilani, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke up. "That's unacceptable. You can't go on a date with him wearing just anything."

I rolled my eyes and said, 'I don't have the money to buy something new.'"

"Money is not a problem," Leilani declared with a determined expression. "We're going shopping."

The three of us made our way to the shopping district. As we walked, Leilani and Emily discussed what kind of outfit would suit me best. They were discussing dresses, skirts, and blouses, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

Emily glanced at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Have you texted Aurelio yet?"

I shook my head, feeling a bit nervous at the thought of messaging him. What if he changes his mind about the date?

Leilani rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Aemilia. Just text him already."

With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and opened a new message to Aurelio.

> Hi, it's Aemilia.

I hit "send" and waited anxiously for a response. After a few seconds, my phone buzzed with a new message from Aurelio.

< Be ready by 7. Send me your location when you're home.

I frowned at the curt response. Was that all he had to say?

"Wow, he's really straightforward," Emily remarked.

Leilani nodded. "Yeah, wow."

I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Was Aurelio not as excited about the date as I was?

"Let's focus on finding you the perfect outfit," Emily said, pulling me towards a nearby store.

We spent the next hour browsing through racks of dresses and blouses, trying on different outfits, and debating which ones suited me best. In the end, we settled on a simple yet elegant black dress that accentuated my curves in all the right places.

As we walked back to my apartment, I sent Aurelio my address and waited nervously for him to arrive.

I took a deep breath and sprayed on my favorite perfume, Marc Jacobs Daisy, feeling a sense of nervous excitement wash over me. The doorbell rang, and I practically sprinted to answer it. As I opened the door, my eyes met Aurelio's, and my heart skipped a beat.

He looked at me as if I were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and I couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth spreading through my body. It was like something straight out of a romantic movie.

In that moment, my mind flashed to a scene from one of my favorite movies, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," where Ben looks at Andie with the same expression. It was as if Aurelio was looking at me with the same kind of admiration.

Was this my "yellow dress" moment?

I blushed and looked down, feeling a sudden wave of shyness wash over me. "Hi," I whispered softly.